A number of stray cats live around The University of Miami campus, and people from the community are wondering where they came from and how they are surviving in the chaos and construction surrounding the university.
Due to the demolition of Hecht Residential College in 2022 and the Stanford Residential College in 2024, many students expressed concern for these campus cats that were seemingly displaced.
However, a community member and UM alum who wishes to remain unnamed claims that these cats have been on campus for much longer than the past few years.
“When unique or protected wildlife or vegetation is found within a construction zone, the University follows best practices to safely relocate or rehouse it,” said the University of Miami in a statement to The Hurricane. “No animals — native or non-native — have required relocation for this project.”
The initial interest of the furry friends on campus was where they came from and how they are handling the construction, but the more interesting part is actually the state that they are in.
Most of the campus cats are spayed and neutered, and well fed, thanks to UPurr.
UPurr is a student-run organization here at UM that focuses on helping the cats on campus by hosting rescues and social events, all while creating a community of cat-lovers.
According to their TNR Coordinator, Isabella Gudin, the group hosts TNR events where they trap unsterilized cats on campus in groups called “cat colonies,” and take them to an on-site location through The Cat Network to get spayed or neutered and vaccinated.
The TNR Program is an effective and humane way to stabilize the population of the cat communities, as well as lower the number of cats euthanized in shelters.
TNR also helps the stray cats better coexist in the community because they are no longer looking for mates or marking their territory.
The UPurr Instagram posted photo slides of their latest TNR event on Oct. 4 with the caption, “Thank you to volunteers who came out to help during the September and October TNR events. We trapped and had seven cats spayed/neutered and vaccinated.”
The University of Miami states, “Their commitment to responsible care makes UPurr an essential contributor to the health and balance of the wildlife at the U.”
While TNR is an important part of taking care of the campus cats, it costs roughly $100 per cat, which can add up. However, this price is significantly less expensive than taking the cats to a traditional veterinarian.
UPurr’s website states, “Cats must be returned to their environment according to Florida State Statutes 828.12 and 828.13, in which relocation of a homeless cat or any animal in a public place or abandoning an animal that has been trapped is illegal.”
This means all cats trapped on campus must legally be returned unless they are friendly enough to be adopted or fostered. In order to ensure this, members carefully label the carriers of the cats sent to The Cat Network for TNR.
The cats are often seen eating from dishes filled with cat food around campus. Some of the cat food is provided by UPurr via donation money and given to “colony caretakers” to feed the cats, and some is bought and supplied by members of the community.
While the cats are an invasive species, most people find them to be a great addition to the wide variety of wildlife on campus.
“Going into Miami I always hated cats, but being here where there’s so many made me realise I want a furry companion for when I have an apartment next year, and I would love to have a cat,” says Amanda Donnelly, UM student.
UPurr President Kendall Arnold says, “I think a lot of people have this idea or stereotype that cats are mean or they just like to be alone and they don’t like you, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
The cats can also be recognized by names that students and community members have given them like “Jellybean” and “Tiger,” or the UPurr E-Board like “Susie,” “Simon” and “Shadow.”
“Seeing them on campus just makes me so happy. I think it’s nice to see little creatures on campus, especially little furry ones,” says Camila Goveo, UM student and cat lover.
Information about the cats on campus, cat adoption, TNR and upcoming UPurr events can be found on UPurr’s Engage page.